Wichita eagle., 1887-07-05

10 let any supposed picket know WHICH,
side he was on, but severe sternness
from the further end babe him:
'tShut upl Halt! Come alongr
sI'm comingr' shouted the sergeant.
''Friend! paymasterr'
'.Shut up. Come alongr responded the
threatening voice beyond him.
For full quarter of an hour the ser
geant CROPPED and floundered among those
bushes Again he used strong language,
very strong indeed; but not soul came to
meet him, nor did another word reply t.
his repeated requests that the picket
should advise him as to what couse he
should take.
The party on the hand car cowed under
sheets and torrents and whole millponds
of falling water, and hoped that there
might be cessation of the lightning
flashes, so that any hidden rifieman would
be less able to shoot straight.
81 give it up" said the voice Of the ser
geant at last. He was only three PAGES
from the car, but was invisible.
1.-The boys know who we are,'' said one
of the soldiers, land we can go on; but
it's an awful mean joke to play in such a
rain as this. -
it," said one OF the paynasters. There
a trap of some kind. Wen never get to
Morehead City"
"We'n go ahead, anyhow" said the SER
geant. There's as much danger behind
as there is before"
I'm glad hurrahed for Burnside, y re-
marked the paymaster's clerk.
On went the hand car into the water
IyaI mil or
more was rolled over before the wayside
summons was generously repeated.
''Quick, now, sergeant said the senior
paymaster.
''Don't know, major" he replied.
''That fellows away in the swamp He's
got under cover. I couldn't even find
him. Risk i'll Boys, risk it! Run her
ahead. They can't hit us if they do fire. "
'sHaltr' came warningly out Of the
blackness, as the hand car dashed for
ward, and with it came thunder that
sounded like a rattle Of musketry.
They didn't work their joke this time,
MAJOR said the sergeant.
There's more than that in it, said the
major. 'I'm glad we're past this picket,
but I'm afraid we're running into trouble.
They may have surprised Morehead City
and the fort.'
'Reckon not, major. Run her your
anybody"
That was brave talk, but in less than
twenty minutes he exclaimed:
''Hold on, boys! That picket is right
on the track. Stop her for your ives.'
They did so, as an ominOuS and men
acing threat repeated:
IaI% IL bn of
the same moment other voices seemed to
say:
''Got 'eml Got 'em n0wT'
''I'm afraid they have" groaned the
major, ''money and all, and we're on our
way to Wilmington"
..No use to hurrah for Burnside this
time" squeaked the paymaster's clerk
The sergeant ran ahead along the track
until he missed his footing ia the dark
and went off into grimy depth of water
and black mud just as somebody said:
who's there's and he was trying to
respond:
Friend with the countersign.
His mouth had too much in for success,
and once more he used strong and very
volcanic expressions as soon as his vocal
organs were at work again. Then we
heard him say:
Come along, boys, There isn't any
body here and the waters six inches deep
over the track"
1t was dOleful mystery and the chance
of being fired upon grew grisly enough
as the car was obviously urged forward.
The fierceness of the storm diminished
and thus, with great gust of wind from
Cape Hatteras, it ceased More wind came
and swept away the clouds. The moon
came out gloriously, and at that very mo-
ment the paymaster's clerk exclaimed:
"Quick, sergeant! They could see tc
shoot nowr'
''Halt! Come along! Got EN-, Got
'em now Bully! Better mount. Better
mount
That was what it sounded like, but tn,
sergeant exclaimed:
Abraham Lincoln! If it doesn't make
five times that we've been halted by thosi
Confederate frogs
In half an hour more we were all saf'
in Morehead City, leaving the frogs t
play jokes on somebody else. Iorl
Graphic.